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Articles and posts by Curt Kipp

Mexico tightens Christmas tree regulations … again

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In case you missed it … Mexican officials have tightened regulations on American Christmas trees entering that country, according to the Capital Press and reporter Mateusz Perkowski. Trees must be sprayed with pyrethrin, an insecticide, three to six weeks before harvest. They must be free of dead needles or branches, and they must also be […]

E-Verify mandate advances in U.S. House

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The U.S. House Judiciary Committee this week recommended, on a 22-13 vote, that House Bill 2285 (full text) be advanced to the House floor. The bill, sponsored by Rep. Lamar Smith, R-Texas, and 41 other representatives (but none from the Northwest), would require that all U.S. employers use the E-Verify system to check worker eligibility. […]

OAN Energy Pilot wins $80,000 USDA grant

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Less than a year ago, the Oregon Association of Nurseries announced an ambitious goal to reduce industry energy usage by 25 percent in 10 years as part of its Energy Pilot program (PDF). Last week, the program scored a major victory when USDA Rural Development awarded the OAN an $80,000 grant (see press release): Oregon […]

Greenhouse growers can save money, energy with cash incentives

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Greenhouse controllers are a great way to save both money and energy, but as with any improvement, there’s the upfront cost to consider. The Energy Trust of Oregon, a nonprofit dedicated to helping people be energy efficient, announced last week that it is rolling out an incentive for greenhouse growers. This could go a long […]

Learn about integrated pest management at Oktoberpest workshops

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It’s almost that time of year again, for beer, sausage … and bugs. That’s right — the lineup for the annual OktoberPest workshop series is all set. Sessions will be offered every Thursday in October at the North Willamette Research and Extension Center, 15201 N.E. Miley Road, Aurora, Ore. The series is aimed at helping nursery, […]

Vegetable garden declared a nuisance

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Some communities welcome vegetable gardens in the front yard. Others don’t. It appears that Memphis, Tenn. fits in the latter category. As reported in the Memphis Flyer, an alternative newsweekly, homeowner Adam Guerrero has been cited into court and ordered to dismantle his home garden. Memphis city officials declared the garden to be a nuisance […]

Slow housing market continues

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If you are a nursery grower and you depend on new home construction for a big chunk of your market, you might want to cover your eyes for this next one. Then again, you probably don’t need to, because you know what we’re about to say. In all-too-familiar news, the National Association of Homebuilders (NAHB) […]

Join our discussion on edible plants

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Commenter Joanne Rigutto of The Little Homestead (Mulino, Ore.) chimes in with a comment on edible plants and their potential to do double duty as ornamentals: Almost any plant we grow for row crops in food production has potential for ornamental landscaping. I think one of the problems is that we normally don’t think of […]

Vertical gardening supplies food for Manhattan eatery

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This is really cool: Bell, Book and Candle, a restaurant in Manhattan, grows all of its own vegetables and herbs under the personal supervision of owner and chef John Mooney. Each daily menu is crafted based on what’s fresh and ripe that morning. But that’s not all. Mooney grows the produce on the rooftop of […]